It's late in the process, but the Florida State men's basketball team has picked up a prospect who could play a major role in the Seminoles' 2014-15 season.

Philip Cofer, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward who originally signed with Tennessee before asking to be released from his scholarship, has now signed with FSU, the school announced Monday.

Cofer asked to be released from his scholarship at Tennessee when the Volunteers lost head coach Cuonzo Martin to another school.

ESPN ranked Cofer as the nation's No. 56 high school prospect and gave him a four-star rating. Rivals and 247Sports list him as a three-star recruit.

"We are excited to add Phil to our roster," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said in a release. "He is a strong player who allows us to become a better team. His athleticism, his motor and his ability to score and rebound the basketball will allow him to be successful in our system. Phil fits in well with our players and we are looking forward to getting him on campus so he can begin to help us prepare for the upcoming season."

Cofer averaged 19.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game as a senior at Whitewater High in Fayetteville, Ga.

According to FSU, he scored a season-high 35 points in one game, scored at least 20 points nine times and reached double-figures in 23 of 24 games. He also recorded double-figures in rebounds in 21 of 24 games.

"My desire to work with Coach Hamilton and his staff is a big reason why I am going to play at Florida State," Cofer said. "Coach Hamilton and his staff have helped players at my position improve during their careers; the progress the players before me at Florida State have made has allowed them to become really good players. I really like the system and think I can flourish at Florida State. I am really excited to get down there and get started with summer workouts."

Tennessee appeared to be a natural fit for Coker during the recruiting process; his father, Michael, played football there and in the NFL. Michael Cofer spent 10 years in the NFL and earned a spot in the 1988 Pro Bowl after recording 12 sacks.

The elder Cofer said FSU became a top option once his son decided to leave Tennessee.

"We looked at the position, how he would be utilized at the position and he was happy with that," Mike Cofer said. "Coach Hamilton sat him down and explained how his skill set would be utilized, how they would work with his strengths and improve his weaknesses and how Phil could, if he works hard and stays focused, would come in and play at Florida State. He felt comfortable with the coaching staff and he felt comfortable with the players he had the opportunity to meet. The team already has unbelievable size and Phil really liked that.

"He was happy with personnel on the roster, he was happy with the campus and he was very impressed with the academic ideals of the university."

FSU returns four of its top six scorers from this past season, when it reached the NIT Final Four, but the Seminoles did lose their top forward, senior Okaro White.